If you plan your holiday carefully, you should have no major problems with travelling. Try and stick to a schedule that is not too demanding and, perhaps just as important, allow yourself time to rest at the other end. You might also consult your doctor when you are planning your journey to see if he or she has helpful advice. By and large most airlines are very good at providing extra help and assistance for people with disabilities, including those in wheelchairs, as long as they are notified well in advance of your requirements.
There are a range of tips and advice for longer journeys and holiday travel. If you have vision problems and you are travelling by car, you could enlarge any maps or written instructions before your journey begins. You could also use a highlighter pen on the map to mark out your journey or a magnifying glass with a light on to help you see the map.
In relation to air travel make sure that you give notice on any special requirements you have (such as meals) well in advance. Many airports have motorized ‘buggies’ to transport people with disabilities. Do take advantage of these, and of porters if you can – you do not want to be too tired out before you have even got on the plane! Ask at the check-in (but preferably before) to try and ensure that your seat allows you to get in and out, and to move as freely as you can. If you take your wheel- chair or scooter with you, do make sure that it is properly and securely labelled and, if it has to be disassembled for travel, it might be wise to take the assembly instructions with you in case someone else has to assemble it again.
If you are travelling overseas take a copy of your passport and any other key documents with you. You might find it helpful, if you are travelling with a companion, to have a change of clothes in each other’s luggage, just in case one of the bags is lost – it has happened! Take a special pillow with you for comfort on an aircraft or elsewhere. You might also want to take a small free-standing mirror with you. If you are in a wheelchair, most mirrors are often hard to get close to. Also a soap on a rope is useful.
Investigate whether laundry facilities are available at your place of stay – if they are, you can often take fewer clothes with you. Obviously do check in advance whether your hotel, guest house or motel has any specially prepared rooms for people with disabilities, and especially people in wheelchairs.
There are now a strikingly wide range of support services and organizations for people with MS, almost whatever their disabilities, who wish to take holidays at home or abroad. The key, as we have noted is to plan well in advance, and undertake thorough research about where, and particularly how, you wish to go.
Information on holidays for those with any form of disability can be obtained from a number of sources and there are a rapidly increasing number of sites on the internet giving wide-ranging information. Perhaps a feature of these and other sites is what many people might think of as increasingly adventurous holidays for people with disabilities from skiing to sailing. For sailing the Jubilee Sailing Trust has for many years been offering active sailing holidays for those with disabilities as well as able-bodied people on its two tall ships; it also has a very comprehensive list of the websites of other disability organizations.
There are an increasing number of specialist services who can help people with disabilities including, for example, Assistance Travel and Accessible Travel. Other services are increasingly being set up to assist people, not just with MS, who may require special assistance or support in arranging their holidays.

Taking medicines abroad

You should check that you have an appropriate supply of any drugs you are taking whilst you are abroad, for it may not be easy to obtain additional supplies. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a doctor with the necessary expertise, and drug availability and drug licensing conditions are often different. Some drugs may not be readily available – even on prescription in some countries – and certain drugs may only be prescribable by particular kinds of doctor (hospital specialists, for example). Some medicines really need to be kept cool so you may need a
‘cool bag’ to ensure that they are not spoilt.
It may help to have a letter from your doctor explaining what drugs you are on and what they are for, to avoid possible customs problems, or if you need further supplies in the country to which you are travelling. Customs may well be very interested in your supply of needles if you self- inject, so a letter could get you out of trouble! If you feel you are a bit forgetful, or even if you are not, it is a good idea to divide your supplies into two, placing them in separate bags or suitcases just in case yours gets lost or mislaid. If you wear glasses, take your optician’s prescription with you in case you lose them. For general information, the Department of Health produces a leaflet called the Traveller’s Guide to Health (see Appendix 2). It is also worth repeating that you should have adequate health insurance, and be sure to list MS among what insurance companies call ‘pre-existing medical conditions’.

Financial help

There are some organizations that you can apply to if you need financial help for a holiday, although it is important to say that help will be based on your circumstances. These include:

• the Holiday Care Service
• the MS Society, both locally and nationally (although funds are limited)
• some local authorities, and
• local charities.